Giant tortoise becomes mother at age 80

The clutch of eggs from Nigrita, an 80-year-old Galapagos giant tortoise, was successfully hatched at the Zurich Zoo in Germany, producing nine baby tortoises.

Mother Nigrita tortoise with a baby. Photo: Zurich Zoo.

According to Mother Nature Network, Nigrita has mated with a male 36 years her junior. "Nigrita is the oldest animal at our zoo, but she can still lay eggs well," said Robert Zingg, the zoo's longtime curator.

Nigrita weighs around 90 kg, while her mate, Jumbo, is twice that size. The tiny, hard-shelled hatchlings weigh 0.1 - 0.2 kg. Because they are much smaller than their parents, they are kept in separate areas for much of their lives to avoid being accidentally stepped on by their parents.

Nigrita arrived at the Zurich Zoo in 1946 but did not lay eggs for more than three decades. Although none of her first eggs survived, Nigrita’s subsequent clutches were successfully incubated and her offspring went on to live in zoos across Europe.

Nigrita gave birth to nine cubs. Photo: Zurich Zoo.

Zoo staff carefully excavated Nigrita's eggs after she laid them and placed the clutch in a temperature-controlled incubator so they could be closely monitored. The eggs were incubated for 106 to 121 days. The Zurich Zoo is the only place in Europe where Galapagos tortoises have successfully bred and reproduced in captivity.

According to National Geographic, the Galapagos giant tortoise is the longest-lived vertebrate, with an average lifespan of over 100 years. The oldest recorded living tortoise is 152 years old. They are also the largest tortoise species in the world, with some reaching over 1.5 meters in length and weighing 250 kilograms.

According to VNE